The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-29
THE MASCARET.
The Peculiar Wave on the River Seine
That Sunk the Steamer Romeo.

4Alc IcCIlldT w ave on OIlo ftlVST o0lQS
That Sunk the Steamer Romeo.
The capsizing of the British steamer Ro-
meo on the River Seine, near Quilleboeuf,
at midnight ON Thursday night, by which
seven lives were lost, was the work of the
mascaret-a mighty mass of water in the
form of towering wall-caused by the
conflict of the river current with high
tidal wave. The velocity of the tidal wave
IN the broad ocean approaches 800 miles an
hour, and the force of its collision with an
opposing stream when ascending the estua-
RES of large river can only be imagined.
cable dispatch to the New York Herald,
dated Quilleboeuf near Villequier, on the
Seine Sept 20, is as follows:
The loss of the British steamer Romeo
which. after it had stranded at Lavaequef'ie.
near this little town, was swamped at mid
night on Thursday, has added seven more
souls to the long list of victims annually
swallowed up by the maScaret Among the
seven was Liverpool solicitor, Mr.. Old
mon The rest formed part of the crew.
Mr.. Bowring, owner of the Romeo, which
was magnificent vessel, built in 1888, had
a terrible struggle with the waves, but
managed to escape. The story he tells of
his fight for life Is strikingly dramatic The
maScaret was due at Lavacquerie little be-
fore midnight, but Capt. Williams, the
commander of the Romeo, supposed that
the position of his vessel would enable it TO
resist the expected shock. Mr.. Bowring
was on deck when the disaster
occurred. Through the darkness"
he says, "amid a tremendous noise,
we suddenly perceived a white wall tea Ieeo
high barring the Seine and advancing at
lightning speed The first wave knocked
the vessel round, shifting her position so
that she lay athwart the stream. The sec
ond wave swamped her altogether. | was
ON the bridge with my poor friend Oldham,
the Captain and several men when we were
caught by the rush of water and hurried
into the river with the sailors who happened
to be on deck. Six poor fellows, mostly
Scandinavians, sank to the bottom The
shock was so violent that Oldham was
washed against some ratings and broke his
leg. Two sailors hurried to his assistance
and plunged in the stream after him. re-
CARELESS of danger, but the current had swept
him away. heard all this later for the
violence of the flood had carried me long
distance from the vessel | had on a pair
of heavy hunting boots, while over a thick
suit | had an ulster which pnralyZed my
movements. There seemed absolutely no
chance for me, but l did not give in and
struck out desperately for dear life. For
an hour and quarter l managed to keep
afoat, battling with the tide, which pre-
vented my approaching the shore, even if
could have seen it. My ankles and wrists
were covered with bruises and my clothes
were all torn to rags, when | at last sue
ceeded in making the north bank, and sank
down in a meadow flooded with water
Rising, | stumbled on straight ahead half
dead with fatigue, till | reached a road
which led me to Villequier, where / took
shelter at an inn. 1t was then 2:15 o'clock
Other survivors owed their escape to having
taken refuge on the keel of the steamer
The mascaret had, as usual, attracted
hundreds of ightseers-artists scientists
and tourists-from Paris. Many make a
point of never missing the magnificent
spectacle. Among them was NJ. Camille
Flammarion, the well-known astronomer,
who gave the following scientific explana-
ton of the mascaret: The mascaret, or la
barre, is caused by the collision of the Seine
and the sea at exceptionally high tides.
The Seine, flowing TRANQUILITY toward
the ocean, meets a strange obstacle
suddenly finds its course barred.
The ocean opposes its pas
flows right and left and tries to get by, but
rising like dense, impenetrable wall, the
ocean furiousfy forces the river to roll back
impetuously In a seething mass often sew
eral yards high twenty-five kilometres to
ward its source, destroying buildings and
swamping vessels on its course. In an in
slant the peaceful river seems transformed
into a boiling sea- Woe betide the luckless
traveller who tries to cross the stream lust
then.
You remember what happened to the
daughter of Victor Hugo and her husband
Charles Vacqueri. They were rowing at
Villequier one day forty-four years ago
when they were surprised by the mascaret
and drowned, with a man and a boy who
accompanied them.
1.-THE flood passes in five minutes, but the
phenomenon is repeated three or four days
in succession. Mascarets occur in the
Gironde and few other rivers including
one in America, the name of which for
got, but they are trifing compared with
those on the Seine. Another very violent
mascaret is due Oct. Is. The exact day and
minute of the floods arrival are always
| known in advance and warning given
| but despite this disasters continually hap
! pen. AS mentioned in one of my books the
churchyard of Villequier tells the dread tale
of havoc worked by the mascaret.
Certain peculiar conditions are required
| to produce the phenomenon. The river
must flow swiftly in the direction of the
approaching flood; next, it must widen con
siderably; lastly, the bottom must rise
! gradually from the mouth toward the
| source. Then, as the first waves spread in
the shallower water, they are outrun by
| those following, which roll over them
obedient to the mechanical law that the
speed of waves increases with the depth of
| the stream"